2001
Report # 8
4 p.m CST, Wednesday, March 28, 2001
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
The International Space Station has become home to its new residents ˝
the Expedition Two crew of Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Jim
Voss and Susan Helms ˝ who are settling in for a four-month stay after
assuming command of the complex 10 days ago.
Minor issues being worked by the crew and flight control teams in Houston
and Moscow are not impacting the operation and health of the complex, but
are occupying time of engineers in preparing troubleshooting procedures
for items on board.
The activation of the stationÝs Ku-Band antenna is on standby until
procedures are put in place for a possible software patch to account for
an apparent pointing error with the dish-shaped antenna. The Ku Band
system is used to transmit television, voice and high-speed data to the
ground. Normal communication is being managed through the S-Band audio
system. Any required TV images, in the meantime, can be accommodated
through the use of the laptop computer-based digital video system. Until
that problem is corrected, transmission of experiment data from the Human
Research Facility experiment rack in the Destiny laboratory is on hold.
A Destiny condensate venting system is not working and while
troubleshooting continues, the thermal loop temperatures have been
increased so that no water currently is being condensed. As a point of
verification, a contingency water container has proven to be useful in
serving as a storage location for condensate, if required.
In and around maintenance tasks and routine housekeeping chores, the crew
has been busy setting up additional equipment and conducting status checks
on some of the payloads. A new bicycle exercise machine called CEVIS (for
Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolation System) was setup this week,
while engineers assess the work needed to repair the stationÝs treadmill,
which is showing wear in many of the slats that provide support to the
unit designed to allow exercise with little or no vibration that could
impact sensitive experiment work.
The Progress supply craft docked to the Zvezda module delivered 89
kilograms of oxidizer to the service moduleÝs storage tanks via remote
commanding from the ground. The Progress will be undocked from the
station in mid-April in preparation for the arrival of the next shuttle
flight carrying the stationÝs Canadian-built robot arm and another Italian
Space Agency supplied logistics module called Raffaello.
The Progress undocking provides an open port for the relocation of the
Soyuz capsule around April 16-18 which will provide clearance for the
placement of Raffaello during the shuttle mission, which launches April
19.
Later this week the Expedition Two crew is scheduled to perform some
maintenance work in an attempt to get the carbon-dioxide removal assembly
in Destiny working. The plan calls for a test of a cable to ensure it is
working before changing the pump with a spare brought up on the most
recent shuttle flight. As of now, with only three people onboard, carbon
dioxide removal from the cabin air is adequately conducted by ZvezdaÝs
Vozdukh system.
The crew plans to take part in its first interview opportunity on Friday
with reporters from CBS and the Associated Press at 10 a.m. CST Friday.
The interview will be broadcast on NASA TV, but will be audio only.
Meanwhile down at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the crew of shuttle
mission STS-100 is conducting its traditional countdown dress rehearsal in
preparation for launch to the ISS April 19. The international crew
consists of Commander Kent Rominger, Pilot Jeff Ashby, Flight Engineer
John Phillips, Mission Specialist Scott Parazynski, Canadian astronaut
Chris Hadfield, European astronaut Umberto Guidoni and Russian Aviation
and Space Agency cosmonaut Yuri Lonchakov.
The International Space Station continues to orbit the Earth in good shape
at an altitude of 238 statute miles (384 km). The next ISS Status Report
will be issued April 4.